Recently, a great deal of attention has been directed to the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on humans. Much of the attention has concerned the effect of such radiation on the eye. Accordingly, the value of strong UV absorption by eye glasses has been recognized.
It is well known that UV radiation can also cause degradation and discoloration in such items as paints, fabrics and plastics. Therefore, strong UV absorption by architectural glazing materials is beneficial. The sun is not the only light source that emits UV. Various types of artificial lighting, such as halogen lamps, may also emit UV radiation. Accordingly, there is an interest in minimizing UV radiation emitted by artificial sources as well. This may be achieved by utilizing UV absorbing glass in the fabrication of lamp envelopes, reflectors and lenses.
It is common knowledge that photochromic glasses are activated by absorption of UV radiation. The most evident utility of such glasses has been in control of visible light transmission. Inherently, however, they also strongly influence the intensity of UV transmission. This behavior is readily understood in terms of the Grotthus-Draper Law which states that: Only light that is absorbed can produce chemical change
Photochromic glasses containing silver halide crystals absorb strongly at wavelengths shorter than 320 nm, but only weakly in the interval between 320 and 400 nm. Radiation in the wavelength range of 320-400 nm is much less harmful than that in the shorter wavelength region. Nevertheless, for some purposes, it would be desirable to eliminate transmission of this radiation as well. Therefore, it has been proposed to dope the above glasses with ions which provide additional absorption of UV radiation.
Photochromic glasses containing halides of copper and/or cadmium are also known, but not commercially available. Such glasses were originally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,299 (Araujo). The transmission cutoff in these glasses occurs at approximately 400 nm, and is much sharper than that in silver halide glasses. Consequently, protection against UV radiation is complete in these glasses without additional doping. We are unaware of any other material that provides such a sharp transmission cutoff at the precise line between visible and UV radiation. The precipitation of the copper halide phase in these glasses is like that of the silver halide phase in the silver halide photochromic glasses. It may require heating of a glass containing in solution the copper and halogen ions of interest. As taught in the patent, the glass is maintained for a short time at a temperature somewhat above the annealing point
There are numerous applications for glasses having the sharp UV cutoff inherent in the copper or copper-cadmium halide glasses. Frequently, however, such applications require avoiding any change in visible absorption such as occurs in photochromic glasses exposed to UV radiation, e.g., sunlight. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to achieve the sharp UV cutoff characteristic of the copper and copper-cadmium halide glasses without the attendant photochromic behavior. It would also be highly desirable to produce such glasses that are essentially colorless because the yellow color associated with most UV absorbing materials is unacceptable for many applications. However, various fixed colors are desirable for other applications.
It is a basic purpose of the present invention to provide UV absorbing glasses that are not photochromic. A further purpose is to provide glasses that exhibit a sharp cutoff in transmission in the wavelength interval separating visible and UV radiation. Another purpose is to provide a glass in which a desired visible color may be obtained without diminution of the strength of the UV absorption.